Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-12-24
GELESTE'S WEDDING.


One day business requiring my
,prcscnce mt X, IA small town with "A
population of 5000 or 5000 inhabi-
Jants, distant twenty hours from Paris,
I arrived there about ten in the fore
0 and was greatly surprised to
lind tho streets which are generally so
e1cnt aud peaceful. unusuallyani mated
Groups Of men were standing in front
al Tho shops. women were gossiping at
tile windows, young men and young
girls we're vending their way toward
the public square, while urchins
.Sssan0. M '00u' IN every '''''-
The Hotel Of Commerce, my Gus
stpmary stspping-place. seemed up
side down. Travellers, who had Deen
abandoned to their fate by the walters,
wore Juggling furiorsly at their bell
cords, ono callingfor his boots, another
for his breakfast, this one wanted his
mail, that one his paper, while the
corridors were the scene OF an indie
gcribable confusion. The master OF
the house. n stout, iovial man, known
TO all as Father Philip, travelled up
stairs and down, perspirlng, painting,
and fumbling ut n loss rs To which call
he should answer first. stopped him
as he was going by.
''Hclio! Fat cr Philip said with
laugh. whats the matter? Are your
servants on a striker
''Ahp' replied he, rs he mopped his
face furiously with his handkerchief,
'fdon't speak of it, sir. Although |
had forbidden it. they have all gone
TO the wedding. All! mere they are
nov. coming back! 1t is about
timer
With contrite looks and hanging
heads, the three walters were return
inc as he sad, sneaking along the
wall. But Father Philip, red as n
boiled lobster, bad caught sight of
them. and without waiting for ex-
plantations. he bawled at the top of his
voice:
Say, are you all trying to make q
fool of mep Augusta, chocolate to z
coffee with milk To IL, letters to 9
Emile, los boots, 6's hat, Petit
J0urndt to 2. No. Is bill! Jules
1913 breakfast. the Time Table foi
n"
Without questions. August, Emil
and Jules disappeared up the stair-cas'
rs if by magic. We heard them sour
rying along the halls on the uppe
floor: doors we're slammed. and iiv'
minutes later the house had ~recoyere,
its usual serenity. Then only die
Father Philip become more calm, an,
turning to me, he said:
"Why. yo" have not heen relieved
hyour vulise yc- l beg your par
fon. All! my dear elk, one is any
thing but happy VIXEN he has to dea
with such scamps! But then | can
not be an@ry with them to-day. Tn
whoto town 10 t0psy-tUrvey on q,
count of the weddingp'
"Whose wcddingP"
"Beinp All! that's so. You hav
Just arrived and could not know.
is tho marriage of Mile. Bondurand!"
In uttering this last sentence Fathe
Philip was very probable under tn
suppression that | was going to eS
claim: ''That o for i'll" as h
seemed most unpleasantly surprise
when | replied, without dreaming tina
/ might give ~oilense: II can't see VIII,
tho marriage of that particular lad
;should have revolutionized the tow
in this way"
He disdainfully stuck out his nethe
lip IA sure sign that he was pouting
or, as his waiter would say, '.showin!
his lip" Still he was on the point o
explaining why such a cause hat
produced SO great an effect, when tn,
rnmbling cf carriages rcsoundcd ii
u c street and the air was filled will
CT !cs of Here they come! here they
comet"
IL was tho wedding-the famou,
welding of Mile Bondurand-which
after tho ceremony at the town hal
and at the church was passing by TN,
hotel on its way back TO the bride
residence. 1t was followed by q crow,
Of idlers who RAJ along. shouting
waving their hats, and showing eacI
ofher, even under the horses feet, a
they scrambled in the dust after tn
e~ugar-plums tho groomsmen wer
throwing by handsful through, til
carriage windows.
We had posted ourselves on tin,
stoop TO get a better view of the COZ
tcgc rs is went by. Father Phil
shared in the general enthusiasm, an,
seemed hugely delighted as he pointe'
ont to mo the family and the invite,
guests.
'.There is Monsieur Bondurand, tn
fDrtlc's father in the second carriage
Hello! his wife is not with him
sParbieu, she has got into her daugh
tiers vehicle. The bald-headed gen
stleman is our Soas-prctct."
''And who is that peasant womal
in full dress? She seems quite i'm
pressed by tho grand company il
which she finds herself
THAT is the groom's mother, oil,
Mme. Florent Doesn't the worth,
woman seem happy? Anyhow, Their
sue is, for the first time in her life, rid
ing i'm a carriage"
nThe groom 10 not a rich maj
thenP"